Tube Lights

1. make sure the tube is properly seated at both ends of an appropriate fixture

2. plug in/turn on the power.

If the tube is evenly illuminated, it's good.

This is some kind of a joke, right, Mildred?

Hold the tube(s) up in the "path" of high-power radar RF energy beam, it tube illuminates and or pulses, the gas is good...but nothing else is proven.

Would placing the tube in front of an x-ray machine be the same thing. I've heard you can hold a fluorescent tube in front of an x-ray machine and if it's good, it'll light up. You can have fun doing this hours on end!

A. Did you read what post #3 said (correctly): Glowing due to illumination by RF or other wave excitation only shows that the molecules of mercury vapor (or other appropriate molecules) are in an appropriate condition to absorb wave energy and emit UV, which then excites the phosphors in the tube. It gives no indication of the condition of the start/ignition part of the lamp/tube/fixture.

B. There's a big difference between placing and holding a tube in an X-ray beam. Anyone who would hold anything in the beam of an X-ray machine is asking for trouble!

I was joking!

I hope nobody would stick their arm with a fluorescent tube in front of an x-ray machine!

AB / I'm sure you've heard of ; Jackass, The Movie.

Yes, there really are some people who might give it a try.

I'm amazed that these idiots post stuff like this one Youtube. Here's a video of me making a fool of myself.

Very funny.

Not really.

Both lights (seated) out at same time. Tried other power sources.

How to test a single bulb out of fixture?

There are others on the market as well. I found one by goggling. It works well. It's just called a lamp tester. No brand name on it and I don't recall either but it's a model 7100. If I recall correctly it wasn't that expensive either.

As suggested elsewhere, replacement with LED is usually a good option.

The tubes need a ballast to work properly... no ballast, no test. Yes you need a fixture to test the bulbs light output condition.

It sounds like your fixture could be the problem. That's what I would suspect, if two bulbs are suddenly out at the same time...

So now, what you need is how to test the fixture...

1. Pop out the bulbs and check the tombstones if they are burnt, for starters.

2. While the bulbs are out, check them in another (working) fixture.

3. You can also pop a new bulb into the suspect fixture, to confirm it is the fixture not the bulbs.

3. With the bulbs out and after disconnecting the power, you can remove a few screws to get the housing off, then you can visually inspect the ballast and if you are ambitious, consider replacing it. Or you can (perhaps more cheaply) buy a new fixture.

ballast?

Yes, it's the part of a boat/ship that holds water - usually at the bottom of the hull.

Ballast isn't part of a ship. It's something heavy added to keep the bottom down, and therefore the top up!

Since water is somewhat heavy, tanks holding water may be used as ballast.

I prefer correct use of language!

Sorry, you are correct. The ballast is added to the ship, such as a holding tank. I stand corrected.

To save time next time, please ensure all pertinent information is in the original post.

How do you, " save time " ?

I thought time was an infinitely divisible linear continuum.

Consult a qualified local Electrician, perhaps?

Since you haven't told us the age/type or previous history of either the ballast or the bulbs, I should mention that the bulbs may simply be incompatible with the ballast in this fixture.

Thanks for two good informations.

3.2 OHMS both ends.

No burning, no dark bulbs.

GE ecoflux F32 T8 bulbs.

Replaced unit with LED, but don't want to put in trash if still good.

Since you already replaced the unit with an LED unit, There is NO reason to keep the old fluorescent one. I too have great difficulty throwing stuff away, but eWaste can make some use of it.

Please follow Relativity PL's advice and recycle it. In case you hadn't heard, all the medals for the Tokyo olympics are being made from metals recovered from eWaste.

The LED ones really produce superior light for less energy, and should last a large fraction of a human lifetime, if the driver circuitry is made well.

The possibility of a loose wire/termination and the misbehaviour of the circuit protection device both need to be eliminated.

Fluorescent tubes have mercury in them. They are not good for dumping in the trash - goes to the landfill.

Also, not a good idea to go to an alley and throw them up in the air and video tape them crashing on the ground. Yes, you can watch in slow motion, but it's not good for the environment.

It is pretty cool to watch them smash over someone's head ... NOT!!! Don't do this at home, kids!

So it seems the fixture is the problem, needs a new ballast.

GE publishes a list of compatible models. You can choose a new ballast that can also take LED tubes when your fluorescent tubes wear out, if you prefer the LED.

https://products.currentbyge.com/sites/products.currentbyge.com/files/documents/document_file/LED-Tubes-Ballast-Compatibility-Sheet_0.pdf

Lots of rebuilding/converting of tube fixtures these days, so don't trash it, someone else will make it work if you don't need it.

For the price of a florescent replace the lamp first, if it still doesn’t light, replace the fitting.

The time spent repairing a florescent fitting is time wasted.

Not capable to fix. Already have replacement so it is going to landfill.

THANKS!!!

Yes, sorry. Recycle not landfill.

No-one seems to have mentioned that the starter or starter socket could be the problem.

Prior to tube ionisation, all of the circuit is in series with the starter connected between the two filaments.

If either filament, the ballast or any of the connections are open circuit or the starter is faulty, then the tube will not even glow.

Glow tube type starters are initially open when power is first applied, a small gas discharge tube in the starter package heats a bimetal strip which closes the filament circuit thus applying a voltage limited only by the filament resistance and the ballast impedance, the gas discharge ceases, the contacts open, line voltage is thus applied across the fluorescent tube which causes the gas in the tube to conduct, if it fails the first time, the process repeats until ionisation can be maintained

Once ionisation has occurred then the starter will be bypassed by the discharge current through the tube thus preventing the starter contacts from closing again, but if faulty it may still cause a problem if it continues to open and close the filament circuit thus shutting down the tube discharge, the tube will flash constantly. Using the wrong wattage starter can exacerbate this effect.

Of course you may have a fitting that has no separate starter.

I have no idea what the prices may be down your way, but here in California, I consider ANY problem with a fluorescent fixture to be a good reason to replace the whole unit with an LED system. It is simply not worth the time to troubleshoot the old technology.

Why? That seems silly to me. I just stick in an led tube. It's cheaper and easier and lasts I don't know how long. I've never had to change one. With over 3000 multiple bulb fixtures in the building, I was spending a lot of time changing bulbs and ballasts. Led's have saved me a lot of time every day.

Simply to get rid of the old ballasts and the associated energy waste, as well as the old sockets, which commonly don't hold well.

I happened to see the price of just under $30 yesterday in our local Costco, for the 4', 2-tube units. I didn't see the replacement tubes without fixture, although they have been there in the past. I'm not sure if that price is subsidized by the local utility or not. The screw-in LED have been subsidized for several years...

I'm happy to hear that you have had good luck using the replacement tubes.

Be careful! CA has this law called Title 24. When upgrading lights to LED (in a commercial application), it's best to just change the bulb and do nothing to the fixture. If you're just changing a bulb, you are not required to follow Title 24.

We changed out the fluorescent tubes (over 1000) to LED's and we didn't have to follow Title 24, since they were only changes to the bulb and not the fixture/ballast.

Sounds crazy, but it's true.

I was vaguely aware of the requirement to improve energy efficiency, but blissfully unaware of the details of Title 24. I started to look it up, but ran into the roadblock that I find in every legal document: too many words! Until I am forced to do otherwise, I shall remember the intent of the law, and ignore the details. If that time should ever come, I'll say: "OK, let a younger person take care of that!"

If I am exchanging any fixture for an appropriate one with lower energy requirements, and it's done safely, there should be no other questions.

The suppliers of LED replacement lamps have never mentioned Title 24. They do provide instructions for removing the ballasts when replacing HID lamps with LED units.

If it's residential and not part of a major remodel, I don't think Title 24 applies. My experience with Title 24 comes from a commercial application. If my memory is correct, there was something about a dimmer on the new light fixture, but I could be mistaken. Yes, there are too many words to read and I think it's best left to someone who knows a lot about the issue.

I read in " Blueprint / edition 123 , a publication of the California energy commission, that " Gas Lighting " , is exempt from the 2019 energy efficiency standards.

Wikipedia defines fluorescence tubes as Gas Lighting.

From what I can see, the 2019 update covers Led lighting as it applies to new construction.

The Cali Government doesn't go by Wikipedia....

I think the state would have a fit if we used that definition. Good try though!

Most fluorescent fixtures will not accept LED bulbs. If yours did, then you're done. Please recycle the bulb. When one with a darkened end fails, turning it end for end will often get it to light up again for a while.

We changed over 1000 of them at our school without modification to the fixture.

Just a few months prior, I changed them personally for our home and rental property. Popped the old fluorescent tube out and installed the new LED tube. When I bought them, they were $80 for 10. I see the price has dropped in the last couple years.

Home Depot 4 ft LED tubes less than $5/tube

not usually.

One way is to delegate the task to a qualified local Electrician. Yellow Pages?

Seriously, here's how a fluorescent tube works. When you understand the concept, you'll then know how to test it to see if it works.

Watch this video and then you'll understand why people here told you to test the resistance of the starter (if open circuit, then infinite resistance and no current flow).

How a fluorescent bulb works

Thank you, but it is in recycle barrel. The tubes will be taken to a municipal recycle site.

LED seems the good deal to me.

Great idea! Most are instant on too, so you don't have to wait for the tube to warm up. Plus, it saves electricity, it's brighter and it lasts much longer.

This is especially true when replacing the old HID (High Intensity Discharge) lamps, where you had to wait something like 15 minutes after turning them off, before you could turn them on again. I remember a number of times when I turned off the lights, then remembered something I needed to get or do, and had to find a flashlight or wait.